This Week - February 21, 2011

In The Box:

I came across this old truck last week on a walk with our dog, Loki. This old girl has put in her time on the farm where she toiled and now sits growing a skirt of ivy. She has a new job of providing shelter from the winter weather for the birds and field mice and in the summer, I imagine the cat that Loki has his eyes locked on will sun on her rusty hood.

Here are just a few ideas and inspiration for some of the items in this week's box. For the complete list for the week, take a peek, just be sure the week you're looking at matches this week.

• Sweet Potatoes - A soup to warm you from the inside out this last month of Winter, and if you're feeling like an adventure in the kitchen, Chili-spiced Sweet Potato Tamales!
• Sweet Onions - I believe this will be the year that pie takes over the cupcake mania and tarts are right up there with pies in my book. Especially when they are savory tarts...mmm, mmm. Here are three sweet onion tarts/pies to get you going: A Swiss and Caramelized Onion Tart from The Bake-Off Flunkie, Alsace Onion Tart from Epicurious and finally, my Mushroom, Walnut and Goat Cheese tart that has caramelized onions in it as well. A word on tart crust here; I keep a supply of Vermont Mystic Pie Crusts in my freezer. It makes it very easy to put together a tart, fruit pie, or quiche whenever the mood strikes you. They are made with 100% pure butter and taste just like homemade. Hmm, maybe in an effort to promote my pie theory, we should start making these available! I'll look into some local sources first, and if I can't find one as good I'll give them a holler.
• Beets - Most of you know my love of beets by now, but how about my love of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall??  The man behind "The River Cottage" has a way with food that I just adore. So here's an article from the Guardian with 3 of Hugh's beet recipes. I'm trying the Beet Root and Cumin Soup with Spiced Yogurt first. Oh yes, the recipes are in metric so here's a handy on-line converter...you know, in case you forgot how to convert..wink, wink.
• Organic Pineapple - This is the time of year when the apples and pears start get tired of each other and our taste buds long for something juicy. Soon the strawberries will be coming along, but for now here's a tropical treat that's full of healthy enzymes. Try my simple recipes for Pineapple with Basil or Curried Pineapple and Dried Fig Salsa. If you want to work it into a main course, this recipe from The Book of Yum for Pineapple rice looks great. Don't forget to let savor the juiciness of the pineapple!!

Add to the Box:

I know I had this on here last week, but for new customers and those that didn't get a delivery last week, I am leaving it up for this week too. We are thrilled to bits to be able to offer the fabulous foods of Neopol Savory Smokery. When I stumbled across the little shop tucked into Belvedere Square in Baltimore, I knew that this food must get to all of you! Barbara Lahnstein and her son Dorian have been working together for over 20 years creating some of the most uniquely fabulous food that you will ever taste.  Because they source as much as they can locally, they are a perfect fit for Washington's Green Grocer! The salmon they use is from True North Salmon Company, a business that practices sustainability and prides themselves on their environmental stewardship.

There are many great tastes from Neopol that we'll be introducing to you and we'll see what strikes your fancy the most. To start with we are offering:

• Smoked Salmon of the Week - This Week it will be Herbs de Provence for $13.00 per half pound
• Whole Large Smoked Rainbow Trout (boneless) $12 each
• Slab Bacon - cured with salt and brown sugar and smoked in fruitwood. This is great because if you want it for slices, you can easily slice it to the thickness you prefer, but if you want to cook with it you can dice it or cut it into strips..whatever you need! $12.00 per pound.
• Smoked Salmon Salad -The most popular salad that Neopol offers and for good reason. -$9.00 per half pound tub
• Smoked Tofu -$8.00 per pound block
• Savory Cheese Pies - Made with swiss, fontina, gouda and ricotta cheese and baked in Barbara's perfect pastry crust. We'll feature a different cheese pie every week - This week's is Portabello Mushroom. $10.00 each. These are deliciously rich so we recommend one of these for 2 people with a green saladside.

Out of the Box:

• New Blog Posts you may have missed: Soup for a Year - Three Sisters Soup, Haddock with Tomatoes, Capers and Balsamic Vinegar, and Indian Pickle
• Our order of Edamame Kimchee from Artisinal Soy is almost ready! We should be able to pick it up at the end of this week which means it will be available to you next week. Wait until you try this award winning deliciousness made right in DC. More about it next week when it's available!